In worksites, such as, excavation sites, a loading machine may be used to load a payload material onto a hauling machine, which may, in turn, transport the payload material to a dump site. Examples of loading machines may include but not be limited to excavators, front shovels, electric rope shovels, hydraulic mine shovels, loaders, and the like. Examples of hauling machines may include but not be limited to mining trucks, dump trucks, freight trains, and the like.
Typically, a load cycle may include filling a bucket of the loading machine with a load of the payload material and depositing the load from above into a dump body of the hauling truck. Depending on a density, a consistency, and a dumping point of the payload material, impact stresses and uneven loading may be imparted onto the hauling machine. Such high vibration, impact stresses, and uneven loading of the payload material may cause non-uniform and excessive wear of the hauling machine.
Recently, there has been contemplation for semi-autonomous and autonomous operation of the loading machines. However, human intervention may still be needed in certain situations, such as to help prevent high vibration, impact stresses, and uneven loading of the payload material. For example, operators may be needed to monitor loading of the payload material through computer vision techniques.
A system for distributing a weight of material loaded onto a haulage truck uniformly among a vehicle's tires is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,157,889, entitled, “Load Distribution System for Haulage Trucks.” In the '889 patent, weight sensors are coupled to a bed of a conventional haulage truck. The '889 weight sensors measure the weight applied to each tire strut as the truck is being loaded. Based on the weight applied to each strut, the exact position of the center of gravity of the load in the truck's bed is calculated and displayed on a monitor. An operator of the loading machine then completes the loading operation based on this information.
However, the '889 patent does not disclose a loading performance monitor system that provides guidance for autonomous loading. In fact, the ‘'889 patent does not disclose autonomous loading.